Pretty much the topic says it all, I want to find out what folks' favorite horror game is. I may not get to list all of those published, but if I miss one or two, mention it in a post.

Mike Taylor

07-25-2007, 09:43 PM

First vote in!!!!

*does the happy idiot dance*

Rain_Spider_08

07-25-2007, 10:20 PM

WoD, first horror rpg I ever played :P, I love the older versions more (vampire the masquerade mainly) but white wolf brought me back when the first bloodline book came out for Vampire the Requiem :D

PhishStyx

07-27-2007, 12:02 AM

Wow, this is a tight race.

There actually are a number of horror games that I didn't mention.

Little Fears, In Nomine, The Seventh Seal, and Delta Green just offer up a few.
I know some consider Nobilis to be horrific, but I don't think it quite qualifies here. :)

Rain_Spider_08

07-27-2007, 02:43 AM

Wow, this is a tight race.

There actually are a number of horror games that I didn't mention.

Little Fears, In Nomine, The Seventh Seal, and Delta Green just offer up a few.
I know some consider Nobilis to be horrific, but I don't think it quite qualifies here. :)

lol it's alright... I didn't even know about half the games on the list till you told me about em'. No harm no foul.

SasseyFrass

07-28-2007, 11:15 AM

There is a brand new horror RPG campaign "Fellowship of the White Star" missing from the survey. That's my favorite.

-Dave

SasseyFrass

07-29-2007, 07:28 PM

I also don't see Witchhunter, a new horror game by Paradigm that also premiered at Origins.

Skunkape

07-31-2007, 07:54 AM

I'm kind of torn between All Flesh and Beyond the Supernatural as far as games that I'd run.

vadersson

12-20-2007, 08:07 AM

Wait! Where is Dark Conspiracy?!? It is the best Horror RPG I have ever played. Put me down for it. ;)

Thanks,
Duncan

Digital Arcanist

12-20-2007, 11:16 AM

I loved old WoD but I also really like Witchcraft and AFMBE although I have never played either.

Olothfaern

12-20-2007, 08:34 PM

I like the old stuff, particularly the Ascension War (even though that was more on the Mage side of things).

Drohem

12-20-2007, 10:10 PM

CoC FTW!

Mulsiphix

12-24-2007, 12:00 AM

Vampire The Masquerade hooked me when I was a PC gamer. I did a ridiculous amount of side projects for it with the most successful being the audio indexed search engine that was used to make comical conversations between characters that never happened in the game. I just sat in on a game locally and was absolutely taken with it. I've been reading some of the sourcebooks for other games like Call of Cthulhu and Kult RPG but neither are as appealing as the politically grandiose VTM.

MortonStromgal

12-24-2007, 03:24 AM

I want to say Call of Cthuhlu but frankly the best times I have had were with Dark Ages Vampire. Unknown Armies, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and Dark Conspiracy get honorable mentions

MinipainterUS

12-24-2007, 10:39 AM

Coc is still the original and the best for my tastes.

Farcaster

12-25-2007, 03:05 AM

Of all the horror type games I have ever tried, CoC would definitely fit the bill for the one that had the creepiest feel to it. World of Darkness games fall more into the dark-future, gothic category.

rabkala

12-25-2007, 02:47 PM

Of that list, I have only played CoC and WoD. I would give the edge to classic CoC, I guess.

If I remember correctly, Nightspawn was connected to Rifts. Or am I thinking of something else? I tried to get my friends Scott and Bill to play it in the late 90's, but it never got past the planning stages. I would still like to try it.

I guess, given the opportunity/willing players and GM, I would like to at least try all of the others a couple times.

Mulsiphix

12-25-2007, 03:03 PM

I think Nightbane was connected to Rifts. I would really like to try CoC myself. Never had the pleasure and know very little about it.

rabkala

12-25-2007, 04:00 PM

On second thought, since I haven't seen Phish around the boards, I might not want to give Angel/Buffy a try. :p

Killwatch

06-04-2009, 03:34 AM

COC for setting is really the best. Any game where you consider yourself a winner if you are a) sane and b) alive at the end of the night is pretty nasty. Other games either put you as PART of the horror and in the know, but COC starts you on the outside and further you enter the more insane you become. I've been toying with adopting the insanity scale for my game.

Webhead

06-04-2009, 10:50 PM

Really, really hard for me to choose, but I went with Call of Cthulhu.

There's nothing else quite like it and it is a type of horror that I find very fascinating.

The other very close contender for me is All Flesh Must Be Eaten. I ran a really awesome one-shot adventure that cemented in my mind just how cool that game is. Only one shot was ever fired (a hunting rifle, the only weapon in the party, at point blank range) and it missed.

My brother also ran a fantastically moody, atmospheric and involved game where the players were entirely absorbed into it and role played superbly.

Gawd, I love that game. I've got to run it again soon...

MortonStromgal

06-05-2009, 04:27 PM

Really, really hard for me to choose, but I went with Call of Cthulhu.

I did not see that coming from you... I guess my problem with CoC is mechanically its still in the 80s except the nifty way you gain XP.

Baldwin Stonewood

06-05-2009, 08:17 PM

I've printed out a demo of All Flesh Must be Eaten and would like to give it try. It looks like its a blast.

PhishStyx

06-05-2009, 10:21 PM

I've printed out a demo of All Flesh Must be Eaten and would like to give it try. It looks like its a blast.

It really, really is.

Webhead

06-06-2009, 03:12 PM

I did not see that coming from you...

Just curious, but why do you say that?

I've printed out a demo of All Flesh Must be Eaten and would like to give it try. It looks like its a blast.

Absolutely. Play it with people who you know like horror games and movies. It is fantastic if your players are interested in that sort of game.

MortonStromgal

06-07-2009, 12:11 PM

Just curious, but why do you say that?

Your other posts would have led me to believe you would pick something less mechanically dated. If I had put money on the one you would pick I would have said All Flesh.

Dark

06-07-2009, 12:21 PM

I have always loved AFMBE and in fact I GM a PbP All Flesh Must Be Eaten d20 version set in the following the scenario set up in the Dawn of the Dead 1978, my campaign depicts the United States struck by a pandemic of reanimated human beings, who now have no other desire than to feast on the flesh of the living. As in the Night of the Living Dead, the cause of the plague is not fully understood by the scientific community. Despite desperate efforts by the U.S. Government and local civil authorities to control the situation, society has effectively collapsed and the remaining survivors seek refuge.

deathboy

06-07-2009, 12:44 PM

I had a hard time voting but in the end I went with the Classic, CoC. WoD was a close second for me though.

Dark

06-07-2009, 01:22 PM

Both are a very close second to me as well.

Webhead

06-08-2009, 01:01 AM

Your other posts would have led me to believe you would pick something less mechanically dated. If I had put money on the one you would pick I would have said All Flesh.

Yeah, as I said...it was a very tough decision. Honestly, I'll always perfer to have both. The only reason I don't have much of a problem with CoC's mechanics is because:

A) They're simple.

B) They focus on "skills" as the primary component of a character's value, eschewing things like "feats" or "merits" that are rather out of place in a Lovecraftian game.

C) The "health and damage" mechanics are very good for making characters feel mortal and fragile.

D) They are different enough from the "norm" of what most players are used to that playing the game itself feels slightly "alien" or "unusual" which can add to the immersion on an interesting level.

Plus, it's a system where most of the details and adjudication is left up to the Keeper which works for my style and is especially appropriate for horror.

Most of what draws me to CoC though is the setting, themes and play style. Very fun if done right.

Mike Taylor

06-08-2009, 10:32 AM

If I remember correctly, Nightspawn was connected to Rifts. Or am I thinking of something else? I tried to get my friends Scott and Bill to play it in the late 90's, but it never got past the planning stages. I would still like to try it.

Nightbane (or Nightspawn) is only tangentially connected to Rifts. Most of the crossover is one way (Nightbane to Rifts). I tend to ignore the Rifts: Dark Conversions book. The Nightbane conversions there tend to be rather silly.

Arkhemedes

06-08-2009, 08:03 PM

Okay I'm probably going to get some boos for this because it is just a setting, but shouldn't Ravenloft be on that list?

MortonStromgal

06-09-2009, 10:58 AM

shouldn't Ravenloft be on that list?

I would say no because then you would would have to included things like GURPS horror and the list would just get huge.

Arkhemedes

06-09-2009, 02:32 PM

I would say no because then you would would have to included things like GURPS horror and the list would just get huge.[/quote]

Ah...good point. Okay I'll just shut up for now.

templeorder

06-09-2009, 04:59 PM

I play horror RPG's more for fun, but leave horror in plot to other systems.

CEBedford

07-05-2009, 08:06 PM

I want to say Call of Cthulhu because it was my first, but I have to say Unknown Armies because the system is absolutely fantastic, and the type of horror I can create is way more visceral to a wider variety of player types.

A blend of the two is perfect IMO.

korhal23

07-05-2009, 09:25 PM

All Flesh Must Be Eaten.

Dark

07-08-2009, 05:55 PM

AFMBE very fun game.

Panthro82

07-09-2009, 02:27 PM

AFMBE & WoD

Xionicist

07-16-2009, 09:15 PM

Don't Rest Your Head is pretty amazing, so I voted for that. And I have to admit to a fondness for CoC and WoD (Wraith, especially). But you don't have my actual favorite Horror/Dark Future RPG listed - Unhallowed Metropolis (http://www.hallowsevedesigns.com/) by Hallow's Eve Designs.

I was privileged to participate in the premiere of their "Up the River" module at TempleCon 2009 and have been running some introductory modules since, as well as a play-test session for a new convention module coming out, and I have to say that this is the most excited I've been about an RPG in a while. Its Neo-Victorian post-apocalyptic zombie-battling goodness with a touch of Tesla-punk, and lends itself well to both hack-and-slash and pure role-playing styles, and everything in between. (Insert shameless plug here:) I'm hoping to start up a regular UnMet campaign in the fall of this year, so if anyone in the Rhode Island/Southern Massachusetts/Eastern Connecticut area is interested, please let me know.

hallows99

07-21-2009, 05:49 AM

I would say no because then you would would have to included things like GURPS horror and the list would just get huge.

Hmm..I dunno. I think Ravenloft had enough of its own core mechanics to stand on its own. Games like Gurps Horror and Horror Hero just painted their exsisting core system and setting another color-with Gurps doing a much better job than Hero. But Ravenloft offered not only a different style and mood for you campaign, but an entire new world to play in.
The whole plane of Dread setting, and Dreadlord mechanics basically made it it's own game.

OK..rambling done....:lol:

Harwel

07-21-2009, 09:45 AM

Gotta go with All Flesh, even though I'm not generally big on horror gaming - or horror movies, or horror literature, or horror in general really. I just can't seem to take it seriously. So my votes are basically for the systems. Unisystem is pretty nice I think, and All Flesh could more or less qualify as "generic Unisystem" with all the setting books it has. Also, I don't think All Flesh is meant to be serious.

Call of Cthulhu probably a close second, because I'm an old RuneQuest fan and they're both BRP-based. Plus CoC is just old school cool.

Never got into WoD at all. Picked up a V:tM book in a store once, years ago, and put it back down pretty quickly.

CEBedford

07-21-2009, 02:39 PM

All Flesh is meant to be whatever type of zombie story you want to tell and at that it excells magnificently. I like how the books manage to clearly give nods to all sorts of zombie stories and still remain neutral. It shows clearly that the writers like zombies in any format and don't have any desire to push you in any one direction.

Some games give you variety but you can tell from the writing that the creators are biased to one particular gameplay style, and they often take too heavy a hand implying why their way is best.

All Flesh Must Be Eaten avoids that presumption and in doing so is a perfect catch all zombie RPG.

Harwel

07-21-2009, 04:23 PM

Yeah, I'm sure when I say that "it's not meant to be serious", I'm viewing it through my own lens of "I can't take horror seriously". I'm sure it can handle a serious zombie game just fine, since classic Unisystem is pretty gritty.

CEBedford

07-21-2009, 06:33 PM

Yeah, I'm sure when I say that "it's not meant to be serious", I'm viewing it through my own lens of "I can't take horror seriously". I'm sure it can handle a serious zombie game just fine, since classic Unisystem is pretty gritty.

I never took zombies at all seriously and originally loved them for how absurd they were. Then I started getting into parallels drawn between the walking dead and people who live a dead existence, and parallels to consumerism. Zombies have the power to be a pretty strong commentary if used right.

Webhead

07-21-2009, 10:17 PM

All Flesh is a fantastic game for all the reasons CEBedford described and more. I'm crossing my fingers that I may get a chance to play in an AFMBE game run by my brother this year for Halloween. He's already admitted that he likes the idea of running another game.

SasseyFrass

07-22-2009, 06:30 AM

Fellowship of the white star, investigative horror set in 1905-1914, has at least three different types of zombies: slow walking undead whose power is determined by how powerful they were in life, electrical zombies summoned using the power of electricity and used by Rasputin initially, and infectious zombies with a rabies like method of transmission.

Panthro82

07-22-2009, 10:29 PM

Fellowship of the white star, investigative horror set in 1905-1914, has at least three different types of zombies: slow walking undead whose power is determined by how powerful they were in life, electrical zombies summoned using the power of electricity and used by Rasputin initially, and infectious zombies with a rabies like method of transmission.

That sounds pretty cool. I have flirted with the idea of a zombie campaign that took place in historical times, but have yet to do it.

darelf

07-30-2009, 01:56 PM

Somehow I missed this poll. Well, I voted. Witchcraft, by far. Easily the best all-around horror/conspiracy system evar.

That's it. I'm surprised there were other game systems in the poll. Doesn't make any sense...

Tamburlain

07-30-2009, 06:48 PM

Changeling The Lost is my current favorite in the horror genre. Of any game setting I've ever played, it provides the perfect story elements with which to explore the nature of psychosis. Frankly, as a system, I find nWoD to be mostly mediocre, and this discourages me from exploring other WW supplements. I hear similarly good things about the setting for nWOD's Mage, and I'm willing to give it a shot as a player. But as a GM, the horror setting of Changeling is so compelling to me that I find it more than compensates for any lukewarm feelings I may have about the system as a whole. Too bad I can't find many willing to play it.

korhal23

07-30-2009, 08:16 PM

That kind of shocks me, Tam. Changeling was the most popular nWoD game at the time I was really into it (though that may be different now, I don't know)

Tamburlain

07-30-2009, 09:00 PM

That kind of shocks me, Tam. Changeling was the most popular nWoD game at the time I was really into it (though that may be different now, I don't know)

Yup, I dunno. It's funny what people are and aren't willing to play and when they're willing to play it. I know that it was, and still is, a popular game; for almost a year I had a great Changeling group going strong. But just after we finished our last CtL campaign, 4e came out, and that's all I've run for this particular group since. (Well, that's not true entirely, as they will play Spirit of the Century or home-brew SW or other weird indie one-offs when we are in-between sessions of "the real game", as they call it.) No complaints on that score. Really, it just means that I'm going to have to try harder to start a completely different group to get my non-D&D GM fix, especially if I want to initiate any long-term interesting horror-based campaigns. Which is exactly what I want to do.

Off the subject of horror, as a player I've recently had a chance to give the venerable WEG's d6 Star Wars a try for the first time. Extremely fun game! Korhal, as you are a person who seems to play quite a bit of sci-fi, I'm sure you've an opinion on the various Star Wars rpgs that have come down the pike. Do you still play the d6 version?

Back to the subject of this post, one of the reasons I am intrigued by the Alpha Omega sci-fi rpg is that it seems to incorporate a substantial element of futuristic horror. And does so in a way that breaks away from the influence of some of the Cthulhu-based or CoC-inspired sci-fi games.

korhal23

07-31-2009, 05:48 PM

Do I still play d6 Star Wars? No. Did I used to? Yeah, for a bit. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. For one, classes seem to make sense to me in Star Wars, but levels DON'T, per se... If you want the true feel of Star Wars, you NEED to start saga at at least 8th level, minimum, but in D6 it feels acceptable right off the bat. That said, I personally prefer single die rolls to multi-die systems like d6 or Shadowrun or WoD (though I used to prefer multi-die... Spycraft is to blame for my conversion).

I feel that D6 is too harsh about the nature of the Dark Side compared to how we see it portrayed in the newer material especially.

D6 lacks the real crunch that I like. I give the nod to Saga Edition over D6... but I don't like low level play of Saga. Neither one is bad though, just different.

Law

08-09-2009, 10:49 AM

My favorite horror RPG is still Call of Cthulhu, but we probably play nWoD far more frequently (for a variety of reasons).

Panthro82

08-10-2009, 05:46 PM

Yea I play with a group that loves WoD

WhiteTiger

08-13-2009, 04:23 PM

I would have to agree with MortonStromgal. It's a really tough choice between Call of Cthulu and Vampire: Dark Ages. I think Cthulu was a little scarier but I also had more fun in Dark Ages...

great discussion, though.. :cool:

Tamburlain

08-13-2009, 08:23 PM

I have (perhaps unreasonably) high hopes for the soon-to-be-unveiled Realms of Cthulhu (http://tcgamesandmore.net/realms-of-cthulhu-coming-soon-to-the-savage-world-rpg/). Two of my very favorite games... united as ONE.

Law

08-16-2009, 10:17 PM

I like the Savage Worlds system a lot. It is a far, far more robust of a system than Call of Cthulhu (BRP). But there is something kinda nostaligic about rolling those percentile dice :D so when we Cthulhu, we'll probably keep using the classic system.

trechriron

10-16-2009, 07:49 PM

I voted WoD (I prefer new) because of the sheer volume and breadth of the material. You can pretty much do any horror genre style with it. I don't own any of the books anymore, and I could probably use GURPS for the same deal, but still it packs a punch.

I LOVE the Kult setting. The system is horrible. I would have voted it my fav if it wasn't for the system being craptastic.

templeorder

10-17-2009, 10:49 AM

I just watched the Vampire Hunter D movies again and was really impressed with the richness and potential as a setting - horror, steam punk, sci-fi, fantasy, modern - a few more are in there too... Never played the Twilight game based on it. Anyone willing to share some thoughts on it?

Lucifer_Draconus

10-24-2009, 07:23 PM

I'm currently playing in a Angel/Buffy game which I really enjoy but I do prefer nWoD especially Changeling: the Lost . I'd love to try V:tR , Mage & Werewolf eventually. I'd also like to play AZMBE & Dead Reign eventually as well.I'd like to know if the Deadworld RPG is still going to be produced .. All Hail King Zombie!

Foolamancer

11-23-2010, 02:53 PM

My favorite horror game... hm...

It's a toss-up between Call of Cthulhu and World of Darkness. In the end, I think I have to go with World of Darkness, because it's system is so much easier to learn and use.

Geist

12-03-2010, 09:31 PM

Hard toss up between CoC and WoD.

rabkala

12-04-2010, 01:34 AM

I recently played in a All Flesh Must Be Eaten game. The GM was truly inspiring, awesome storeytelling skill. I loved it! If I had to run it, I would want more crunch in my game. It's hard to fly by the seat of your pants all the time (as he seemed to). I really disliked the last time I tried WoD, Chanling. It fealt contrived and fabricated.

jpatterson

12-06-2010, 11:18 AM

I have to say that I haven't played most of the others. I played and ran CoC and like it and find it a solid system but I got to play and run Chill a few times, and while I find the Mayfair system unnecessarily complicated, there is something about the way it is presented that I like, I think it is the more "open", potentially optimistic air, rather than the more specific Lovecraftian world of CoC - so I guess I like Chill for a different reason. I only got to play AFMBE for one brief session so I can't judge it, so of the ones I've played, Chill slightly edges out CoC but not for system itself.

daddystabz

12-16-2010, 05:52 AM

Angel/Buffy is an EXCELLENT system. All Flesh Must Be Eaten is perfect for zombie survival horror. I prefer Chill to CoC. Slasher Flick is also a trip.

Max_Writer

01-27-2011, 09:53 AM

Definitely Call of Cthulhu. Easy-to-learn and play game system that hasn't needed a major change in years, best backstory, and the sanity rules rock. What's not to love?

Avy

02-10-2011, 06:45 AM

Its Old World of Darkness all the way for me

daddystabz

02-11-2011, 03:23 AM

Mine is a tie between Chill 2e (Mayfair), Angel/Buffy, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, and Slasher Flick.

Giasrhen

02-13-2011, 08:00 PM

CoC. The reason, in almost all other Horror Humans are the Horror. either their self awareness of the situation or as an extension of what was Human now monsterous or just created by Human. In CoC we are not the cause, we are not the solution, we are not special. we are one of many over aeons in a sea of infinity and by comparison we are not even insects. not only are we not on the intellectual food ladder comparing ourselves to any on the ladder is the first step to madness.
I looked into the Void, and found The Void Looking back into me.

Simetradon

07-02-2012, 04:45 PM

Of course, I have to say Chaos 6010... but then again, I'm biased.

susonjoy

08-16-2012, 05:32 AM

Yes, I think this coc is the best horror game. I love to play the horror games and they are very interesting and thrilling, also they are very exciting games to play. This game is scary but not that much, but all will enjoy this game while playing thids game.

Thorn

08-17-2013, 04:44 PM

I alwayed stayed with old and new version of the World of Darkness by White Wolf.

magic-rhyme

09-21-2013, 04:38 PM

Which World of Darkness?

magic-rhyme

02-08-2014, 07:48 PM

Call of Cthulhu is much less amenable to munchkinsploitation and hack&slash mentalities than is World of Darkness.

One of the best ways to frustrate the munchkin impulses in hack&slash types is to use Call of Cthulhu instead of World of Darkness and then set the campaign aboard a civilian ship with no weapons locker and with the kitchen (including the cutlery cabinets) under the control of Deep Ones or worse. They'll still find a way to weaponize whatever they can find in the onboard toolboxes, but they won't be able to munchkin out on artillery and grenades.

nijineko

02-09-2014, 03:05 PM

could not vote as there was no appropriate entry in the poll.

Thorn

03-02-2014, 04:11 PM

At the time the Werewolf and Mage games were the main games and very little Vampire.